<\/p>\nListen to this article<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>5 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<\/button>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Iran\u2019s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has never held a formal position in government, but his appointment as his late father\u2019s successor amid the US-Israeli war on his country was not unexpected.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s Assembly of Experts appointed the 56-year-old mid-ranking religious scholar to the position on Sunday, just over a week after his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in United States-Israeli strikes.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Khamenei, who has strong ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and his late father\u2019s still-influential office, is seen as a hardliner who will provide continuity in the country.<\/p>\n<p>His appointment, which came after he lost both his father and his wife in strikes, was interpreted as a defiant choice signalling continuity as the Islamic Republic faces the biggest crisis in its 47-year history.<\/p>\n<p>Khamenei received immediate backing from figures in Iran\u2019s political and security establishment, including IRGC leaders, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.<\/p>\n<p>Outside the country, reactions were mixed:<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"oman\">Oman<\/h2>\n<p>Oman was a mediator in recent talks between Iran and the United States, which collapsed when the US and Israel unleashed their war on Iran last month.<\/p>\n<p>Oman\u2019s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on Monday sent a \u201ccable of congratulations\u201d to Khamenei on his appointment as Iran\u2019s new supreme leader, according to the official Oman News Agency.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"iraq\">Iraq<\/h2>\n<p>Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani also congratulated Khamenei on his appointment on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe express our confidence in the ability of the new leadership in the Islamic Republic of Iran to manage this sensitive stage, and continue to strengthen the unity of the Iranian people in facing the current challenges,\u201d al-Sudani said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>He reaffirmed Iraq\u2019s solidarity and support for Iran and \u201call steps aimed at ending the conflict and rejecting military operations against its sovereignty, in order to preserve the stability of other countries in the region\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"united-states\">United States<\/h2>\n<p>US President Donald Trump had previously dismissed Mojtaba Khamenei as a \u201clightweight\u201d, and insisted he should have a say in appointing a new Iranian leader, which Tehran rejected.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, Trump told NBC News, \u201cI think they made a big mistake. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s going to last. I think they made a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later on Monday, he told CBS News: \u201cI have no message for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump said he has someone in mind to lead Iran, but did not elaborate.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"israel\">Israel<\/h2>\n<p>The \u2060Israeli \u2060military has already threatened to kill any replacement for the late Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n<p>Israel\u2019s Foreign Ministry said Monday that Mojtaba Khamenei was a \u201ctyrant\u201d like his slain father, and would continue what it described as the Iranian \u201cregime\u2019s brutality\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In a post on X featuring a picture of Mojtaba Khamenei and his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, holding guns, the ministry wrote: \u201cMojtaba Khamenei. Like Father Like Son\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMojtaba Khamenei\u2019s hands are already stained with the bloodshed that defined his father\u2019s rule. Another tyrant to continue the Iranian regime\u2019s brutality,\u201d said the ministry.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"russia\">Russia<\/h2>\n<p>Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday pledged \u201cunwavering support\u201d to Iran.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would like to reaffirm our unwavering support for Tehran and solidarity with our Iranian friends,\u201d Putin said in a message to Khamenei, adding that \u201cRussia has been and will remain a reliable partner\u201d to Iran.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt a time when Iran is confronting armed aggression, your tenure in this high position will undoubtedly require great courage and dedication,\u201d the Russian leader said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"china\">China<\/h2>\n<p>China\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters on Monday that Iran\u2019s decision to appoint the younger Khamenei was \u201cbased on its constitution\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChina opposes interference in other countries\u2019 internal affairs under any pretext, and Iran\u2019s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity should be respected,\u201d he said when asked about the threats against the new leader.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing is a close partner of Tehran and condemned the killing of the former supreme leader, but it has also criticised the Iranian counterstrikes against Gulf states.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"yemen-s-houthis\">Yemen\u2019s Houthis<\/h2>\n<p>Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels on Monday welcomed the appointment of the new supreme leader.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership and people, on the selection of Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution at this important and pivotal juncture,\u201d the group said in a statement on Telegram.<\/p>\n<p>It called his selection \u201ca new victory for the Islamic Revolution and a resounding blow to the enemies of the Islamic Republic and the enemies of the nation\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a05 mins info Iran\u2019s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has never held a formal position in government, but his appointment as his late father\u2019s successor amid the US-Israeli war on his country was not unexpected. Iran\u2019s Assembly of Experts appointed the 56-year-old mid-ranking religious scholar to the position on Sunday, just over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}